“Lemons for Lemonade” – An Art as Avocation Exhibit

About the Artist

After his 2007 graduation with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina, Dr. Geoffrey Stroud started working as a clinical pharmacist for the Leo Jenkins Cancer Center. In 2011, he became a board-certified oncology pharmacist, and by 2012, he launched the first pharmacist-directed symptom management service within the thoracic oncology program at East Carolina University.

In North Carolina, pharmacists can hold medical licenses as clinical pharmacist practitioners (CPPs). CPPs are given prescriptive authority and can manage medications through a collaborative practice agreement with a supervising physician. As a CPP, Stroud helps to manage the toxicities, such as pain, nausea, and vomiting, that come along with the treatment of lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies.

“I first started painting in college,” he says. “There was a restaurant in Chapel Hill called Elaine’s that featured these huge abstract pieces, and I thought, ‘I can do that.’ Painting became a way to express myself while I was having difficulty finding my way in college. I began using acrylic paints on canvas as they are ‘user friendly’ and do not require a whole lot of training. As time went on, I started using different mediums to add more texture and depth.

“Today, I try to make my paintings both simple and striking. Abstract and still life are still my genre of choice. I find painting very soothing and a positive way to balance the stressors of a life in health care.”